Chapter 11
Darcy was disappointed that Richard had not been able to discover much during his morning visit to Longbourn.
Jane Bennet had referred to a house, not a barn, hut, or abandoned mill, but she and her father had also seemed as if they did not know where Elizabeth was, nor who was acting as guards and jailers.
The two cousins agreed that Mr and Miss Bennet’s responses could only make sense if Richard's parents truly were involved, and they agreed that Richard should ride back to London with a note to Darcy’s attorneys requesting that they give Richard in person all the information they would also send to Darcy via letter about how to activate the law against kidnappers,.
Richard would attempt to use that knowledge to leverage from his parents the information about where Elizabeth was being kept.
In the meantime….
Darcy rode Beorht alongside the carriage that carried Georgiana and Mrs Annesley, plus several baskets of food, to Mrs Philips’s house.
He greeted Mrs Philips cordially, watching for but not spotting any signs of discomfort in her face. She seemed not to connect his reappearance with Elizabeth.
Georgiana asked Mrs Philips, “Which ladies sent word that they would be coming today?”
Darcy was very impressed that his sister was able to speak up in this way with a total stranger. Her anger at what had happened to her future sister had made her more courageous.
Mrs Philips ticked names off her fingers: “Two of my nieces, Miss Lydia Bennet and her sister Miss Kitty Bennet, plus Miss Maria Lucas, Miss Mary King, and Miss Susan Long.”
“Excellent,” Georgiana replied. “I should have plenty of ribbons and lace for six bonnets.”
Mrs Annesley took charge of arranging the foods while Georgiana made a rainbow-coloured display of bonnet decorations.
Darcy lingered by the front door, and soon he saw the two youngest Bennets approaching, chatting and giggling.
It was not long before they noticed him and silenced themselves.
Miss Kitty lost her smile, but Miss Lydia became both serious and determined.
When they were quite close, he bowed and greeted them formally, “Good day, Miss Catherine. Good day, Miss Lydia.”
“Good day,” Miss Kitty said, and then she hurried inside.
Miss Lydia planted herself directly in front of him and said, “Mr Darcy, I am glad to have an opportunity to talk with you, because I have some really important news: I am positive that Lizzy did not elope with Mr Wickham.”
He nodded but, because two other young ladies were approaching, he said, “Let us stand a bit farther away from the door, and please lower your voice so nobody can overhear. Rumours often get started from a fragment of an overheard sentence.”
Lydia looked startled, but then thoughtful. “Oh! Yes, that makes sense. I apologise.”
Darcy was surprised to see evidence of such sense, and he promised himself that he would respond to what Miss Lydia said and did now, rather than maintaining assumptions he had made almost a year ago.
He assured the girl, “I was certain that she had not eloped with anybody, certainly not with Wickham, and I am happy that you agree with me, but I wonder why you do not believe what your eldest sister says.”
“The main reason is that Lizzy came back from her stay with the Collinses with a very changed attitude about Mr Wickham. She warned Kitty and me about him, saying that he had done wrong to girls as young as we are—and, even though she did not tell us the names of the girls, nor how she knew of this, she looked so very solemn and so very anxious when she told us, we both knew she was telling us the truth. Someone involved with Hunsford or Rosings must have known Mr Wickham, and we were very glad to be warned with the truth.”
Darcy felt a moment of pain. Ever since his first disastrous proposal, he had been torturing himself with the question of why he had not warned the people of Meryton about Wickham’s misdeeds.
Of course, he had subsequently warned Elizabeth in his letter, but he also worked to ensure that the man’s commanding officer knew of his vices.
Not only that, but he had arranged to have Richard keep a watch on him as long as he was in the militia.
He was very glad to hear confirmation that Elizabeth had warned her sisters.
“The fact that you believed Miss Elizabeth is a credit to you, Miss Lydia.” Darcy smiled at her, feeling a rush of brotherly affection towards the girl he hoped would, one day, become his sister.
“Not really. To be honest, I often manage to disbelieve people when they are saying things I do not wish to hear. But Lizzy…she is different. She hates gossip, and she would never have warned us about Mr Wickham unless she knew for certain that he was someone who should be avoided.”
Darcy felt better and better about Miss Lydia. “You are a good judge of character to know that about Miss Elizabeth. As you can imagine, I am determined to find your sister. Do you have any idea where she is, since we agree she is not at Gretna Green with Wickham?”
“No. I wish I did! Lizzy went to bed early the night before you arrived, saying she had a headache. Then later on, I heard someone drive up—you know, carriage wheels, horses’ hooves—but when I tried to see from the window, Mama came into the room and grasped our arms quite roughly.
She told Kitty and me that someone was threatening our family, and we needed to be very obedient and very quiet.
‘For once in your lives,’ she said to us, and she shook us hard.
She was behaving quite differently than usual, and I was horrified to be treated that way!
” Lydia paused, gulping. “And then, the next day, when Kitty and I demanded to know what had happened to Lizzy—well, then we were lied to!” She stomped her foot.
Lydia’s head drooped as she continued, “We are both very upset, but we could not think of any way we could help Lizzy. I suppose whatever the threat is, whoever threatened us, it must be pretty bad. But Kitty and I agree that this should not mean that Lizzy could not marry the man she loves! And that is what the lie is supposed to do, I think—keep the two of you angry with one another, or apart from one another in some way.”
Darcy nodded. “I agree that this is why someone decided to tell me that Miss Elizabeth eloped with Wickham—because they thought it would upset me. However, I wonder why everyone in your family would not know what you know about Mr Wickham. Did Miss Elizabeth not tell her parents, Miss Mary, and Miss Bennet what she knew from her travels to Hunsford and Rosings?”
“She told Kitty and me that she worried that we might be targeted by Mr Wickham if we ever ran into him again, but she knew that Mary was very sceptical of his charm and had not believed the lies he had told, from the off. As for our parents and Jane, Lizzy seemed certain that Wickham would not try to target them. That is why she warned only us.”
“Ahh…”
“At any rate, Kitty and I do not have the smallest idea of what to do!”
“Try not to be anxious, Miss Lydia. I will find Miss Elizabeth, and I will make sure that we can still marry, no matter what. I will also protect your family from whatever and whoever is threatening you. I am wealthy enough to promise you that I will prevail.”
Darcy hoped he was not overselling it, but he did feel very confident and absolutely determined.
He wanted to alleviate her worries and keep her on his side.
He made one last promise and a request: “If you or any of your sisters feel threatened in the next days and weeks, escape however you can to Netherfield Park. I will have the housekeeper, Mrs Nicholls, ready to help and even hide you—whatever is necessary—even if I am gone, searching for your sister. Also, if you hear any news at all about who is threatening whom, or where Miss Elizabeth is, please come tell Mrs Nicholls, Georgiana, or myself, or write us a note. We will always help you, and we will appreciate any help you can give us.”
Lydia nodded. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and even though her eyes were dark blue rather than Elizabeth’s nameless colour (brownish-green-and-amber), something about the way Lydia’s eyes danced reminded Darcy of his love.
As Lydia joined another young lady entering the Philips’ house, Darcy mounted Beorht and rode to Longbourn.
Soon, at his own request, he was in the bookroom with both Mr Bennet and Miss Jane Bennet. The two looked so surprised, it was as if he had two heads.
“Well, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth’s father started, "I have to admit that I have no idea why you have called today, given the fact that you already know that Elizabeth is not here.”
“Since yesterday, I have discovered several things. First, Miss Elizabeth has not run off with Wickham; he is still in Brighton with the rest of his regiment. Second, you are under threats of some kind from the Earl and Countess of Matlock, who are my uncle and aunt. And third, given the fact that Miss Elizabeth has recently turned one and twenty, your participation in the scheme to remove her from me is illegal, and I have the right to demand your arrest for abduction.”
“What??” Mr Bennet said explosively. “You cannot have me arrested for kidnapping my own child.”
“Indeed, I could not—as long as your child remained a child. Once grown, however….”
“Sir,” Miss Bennet interrupted, “how can you say that Lizzy has not eloped with Mr Wickham? I showed you the letter that she wrote.”
“You showed me a letter that had been forged, and not all that well.” Darcy noticed that a flash of irritation showed in Miss Bennet’s face when he criticised what he was increasingly sure were her own forgery skills.
He wished to make Miss Elizabeth’s sister even more miserable, because of her betrayal of a sister who loved her.
He added, “Furthermore, I am certain that you were the one who concocted the lie of Miss Elizabeth eloping with Wickham. That was a poor move on your part, because she has known of his vicious proclivities since mid-April. He is the last man in the world she would elope with…and if you had truly known her at all well, you would have known that.”
Miss Bennet’s pale face paled even more.
But she managed to control her wide eyes and her sad smile—Darcy was convinced that her emotions would better match a severe, glowering frown—as she said, “You continue to attack a man you grew up with, a man who loves my sister, a man who may already be my brother. Mr Darcy, I am appalled at your behaviour, and even though I understand that jealousy can make good people act in poor ways, I demand that you cease saying these lies about Mr Wickham.”
Darcy turned away from her and faced Mr Bennet.
He brought out from one of the large pockets in his great coat a thick packet of papers held together with a red cotton ribbon.
“Sir, I brought with me some of the documentation that I am telling the truth about Wickham. The names are removed to protect the reputations of Wickham’s victims, but I know that you know enough of the world to see that my claims are substantiated.
” He put the packet down on the table, and he waited while Mr Bennet looked them over.
Elizabeth’s father was frowning, and Darcy could see that the glances he shot towards his eldest daughter were unhappy and puzzled. He said, “You say that you warned Lizzy—Elizabeth—about this…blackguard?”
“I did. When we met in Kent, I saw that she believed his lies. At that time, I explained his true nature and offered a second trusted witness.”
“That probably explains why she was so vocal against my agreement that Lydia might go to Brighton with the regiment,” Mr Bennet mumbled—almost to himself, Darcy thought.
The man looked up at Darcy and said, “I am grateful that I bowed to her insistence that I withdraw permission for Lydia to accompany Mrs Forster, and thus I thank you for warning Lizzy and, through her, me.”
Darcy nodded. “Last April, your daughter gave me cause to regret not warning all of Meryton the instant Wickham arrived in town. I have made many missteps, but I am attempting to rectify my mistakes and rid myself of my faults. Miss Elizabeth has made an enormous impact on my life, and that is only one of the reasons that I love her so dearly.”
He gathered up the documents, retied the ribbon, and carefully placed the packet back into his pocket.
Then Darcy said, “I hope you understand now why I am appealing to you to reverse your actions and restore Miss Elizabeth’s place here at Longbourn and with me, her chosen husband-to-be.
I can and will prosecute you and my own relations, if that action is necessary—but I hope that bringing in the magistrate and parish constables is not needed. ”
“We are doing what is best for Lizzy!” Miss Bennet said. “Lord Matlock told us of your vicious propensities. Of course we will fight you tooth and nail to prevent you from marrying my beloved sister.”
Darcy simply ignored her. He was not certain what drove her pretence, but he felt that her father was not as entrenched in their lie as she was. He asked, “What do you say, sir?”
Mr Bennet said, “I do not know how to reverse my actions. I wish to God I did!”
“Will you tell me what threats were used against you?” Darcy asked.
“Papa, please. We cannot change sides on this!” Miss Bennet pleaded.
Darcy muttered softly, “Bingley is well quit of this reprehensible ‘angel,’” just as he stood, at Mr Bennet’s request, and left. His murmur was barely loud enough to reach Miss Bennet—it certainly would not be heard by her father.
She stiffened but said nothing in response.